HUNTINGDON-Not having a consistent week of practice, much less games, hinders any baseball team. The early spring rain has halted a lot of momentum for the Clearfield Bison, as they have seen every other game to start the year get postponed to later in the season. Thankfully, they were able to get on the road Monday afternoon for a Laurel Highlands showdown against Huntingdon.
They quickly made the trip back home, as the Bearcats were not messing around. Clearfield’s bats were inexistent, and the entire Huntingdon roster got to every Bison pitcher. In the end, the Bison fell in only four innings, 15-0.
Matthew Gutshall was reliant on his defense for the entire game while on the mound. He started the opening at-bat against Jayce Brothers, who was the starting pitcher for Clearfield, and watched him line a ball into right field for a lead-off double.
That would be the only hit he gave up. A pair of groundouts, then a strikeout to Colton Bumbarger, left Brothers on base and let the Bearcats get out of the inning. The bottom half, however, was a much different story.
A lead-off walk to Rylen Morningstar, then a double by Ethan Reck, and Brock Bryson getting hit on a full-count offering loaded the bases for Brothers. The next five at-bats all broght in runs. Two RBI-singles from Gutshall and Evan Edminston, a pair of walks to Erick Rupert and Dom Peruso made it 4-0. The fifth run came on a sacrifice fly that ultimately led to a fielding error by Noah Wriglesworth. Another walk came to Morningstar, as the Bearcats went back to the top of the lineup, and then a fly out to center plated Peruso for a 7-0 lead in one inning.
Connor Peacock took over for Brothers after five runs, but Brothers ultimately got dinged with the loss.
Meanwhile, Gutshall was dealing hard and letting his defense pick up what he couldn’t finish. He ultimately pitched all four innings, giving up the lone hit, and walking three.
In the bottom of the third, Morningstar scored again when a passed ball got by Bumbarger, then Bryson hit an RBI-single up the line to left field to make it 9-0.
Clearfield would go through five different pitchers leading up to the fourth inning, as by then Hayden Rumsky had taken over for Peacock, but the Bison defense still had struggled. With one out, a dropped third strike allowed Landon Snare to cross home, while a throwing error by Bumbarger allowed Edminston to cross the plate. With the 11-0 score, Clearfield needed to get out of the inning to at least have a chance in the fifth to close the gap enough to keep playing.
Two batters later, Brody Ryen would be pitching and gave up a bases-loaded walk to Morningstar. Two batters later, Bryson would do the same thing to make it 13-0, and once more to Gutshall. Pinch hitter, Owen Herncane, was left to potentially close out the afternoon, and stared down an 0-1 offering to do just that.
The line drive into left field was enough to bring Reck across the plate. All the runners at that point were held up on the bags as the umpires called the game on account of the Mercy Rule.
Clearfield (2-1) is next scheduled to host Philipsburg-Osceola on Wednesday afternoon, with first pitch at 4:30 p.m. If the forecast does not allow, the Bison will not be back on the diamond until after the Easter break when they travel to Bellwood-Antis.
SCORE BY INNING
Clearfield 000 0 – 0 1 3
Huntingdon 702 6 – 15 8 0
Clearfield – 0
Jayce Brothers-p/2b/rf 1010, Connor Peacock-2b/p/cf 2000, O’Brian Owens-3b 1000, Colton Bumbarger-c 2000, Rex Butler-dh 2000, Hayden Rumsky-cf/p 2000, Braison Patrick-ss 1000, Noah Wrigleswroth-lf 1000, Landon Brady-rf/p 1000, Brody Ryen-p 0000. TOTALS 13 0 1 0.
Huntingdon – 15
Rylen Morningstar-ss 0301, Ethan Reck-rf 4331, Brock Bryson-1b 2112, Matthew Gutshall-p 3112, Erick Rupert-lf 2101, Owen Herncane-ph 1011, Evan Edmiston-lf 2211, Dom Peruso-c 1101, Landin Snare-ph 1110, Grady Clark-2b 1001, Reed Marshall-ph 1100, Tyler Banks-cf 2000, Jettik Mojta-ph 0100. TOTALS 20 15 8 11.
2B: Brothers/Reck
HBP: Bryson
SF: Clark
SB: Rupert
E: Owens, Wriglesworth, Bumbarger
Pitching
Clearfield: Brothers-0 IP, 3 H, 7 R, 5 ER, 0 SO, 3 BB; Peacock-2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 SO, 1 BB; Rumsky-1.1 IP, 3 H, 6 R, 4 ER, 1 SO, 3 BB; Brady-0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 SO, 0 BB; Ryen-0 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 SO, 3 BB.
Huntingdon: Gutshall-4 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 SO, 3 BB.
W-Gutshall
L-Brothers (0-1)
Clearfield Bison Baseball Scoreboard
| DATE AND OPPONENT | SCORE | RECORD |
| 3/16 BISHOP GUILFOYLE | PPD. | 0-0 |
| 3/19 at Tyrone | 7-6 | 1-0 |
| 3/23 HOLLIDAYSBURG | PPD. | 1-0 |
| 3/26 at Bishop Guilfoyle | 6-4 | 2-0 |
| 3/27 BEDFORD | PPD. | 2-0 |
| 3/30 at Huntingdon | 0-15 | 2-1 |
| 4/1 PHILIPSBURG-OSCEOLA | ||
| 4/8 at Bellwood-Antis | ||
| 4/10 at Westmont Hilltop | ||
| 4/13 PENNS VALLEY | ||
| 4/14 HOLLIDAYSBURG | ||
| 4/16 at Bald Eagle Area | ||
| 4/17 BEDFORD (4 p.m.) | ||
| 4/20 PUNXSUTAWNEY | ||
| 4/24 CENTRAL CAMBRIA | ||
| 4/27 at Central | ||
| 4/29 at Richland | ||
| 4/30 at Bradford | ||
| 5/4 BELLEFONTE | ||
| 5/6 at St. Marys | ||
| 5/7 BISHOP GUILFOYLE | ||
| 5/11 TYRONE | ||
| 5/13 at Dubois |
